This easy tofu ramen recipe features crispy, pan-fried tofu and a slurpable miso broth! This is a delicious plant-based dinner recipe.
Looking for a tasty tofu ramen with a flavorful broth? Authentic ramen from a Japanese restaurant is the best. But try it out at home! This tofu ramen is one of our new favorites. The best part is the tofu: it’s crunchy and full of soy sauce and miso flavors. Alex and I kept eating bites! Served in a broth filled with spicy umami, it’s 100% plant-based.
What’s in this tofu ramen?
Ramen is a traditional Japanese dish made with broth and wheat noodles (here’s a ramen guide to learn more). We love eating ramen in restaurants especially when we travel. But if you want something at home, make a ramen recipe like this! The tofu is Then well, you can also make it separately and just snack on it. We couldn’t stop eating it! You need a few special ingredients to make ramen at home, but it’s not hard to put together:
- Extra Hard Tofu (Make sure it’s not soft, silky, or tight!)
- miso paste of any kind
- Onion, garlic and green onion for aromatics
- spinach, carrots, Mushrooms and Chinese cabbage for the vegetables
- Ramen Noodles (more below!)
- vegetable soup
- Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce and Mirin
- coconut milk for smoothness
Other ways to serve tofu? Try all of our tofu recipes especially tofu curry, tofu stir fry, pan seared tofu and grilled tofu.
How long does it take?
This tofu ramen takes about 45 minutes to put together, but it’s worth the time! The key thing about ramen is the flavorful and nuanced broth. This broth doesn’t take too long to prepare since it’s based on miso noodles. Most of the time in this recipe you will be preparing the tofu and chopping the veggies. If you’re vegetarian and not vegan, you can add a boiled egg on top to cut the prep time down to 30 minutes! Go to miso ramen.
Can anything in this tofu ramen be made ahead of time?
Yes! You can prepare the tofu ahead of time and then store it in the fridge until ready to serve. It will become a little tougher in the fridge, so before serving, warm it up in a skillet over medium-high heat. You can also serve this tofu ramen with our easy marinated tofu that doesn’t need to be cooked. It just doesn’t have the nice crunchy texture of fried tofu.
Save leftovers: separate broth and pasta!
You’ll find that this tofu ramen recipe tells you to keep the broth and noodles separate and then place them together in serving bowls. That’s important because When the noodles sit in the broth, pick them up. You’ll find that if you reserve leftover pasta in broth, it soaks up all of the “juice” and all of your flavorful broth is gone! When storing leftovers, be sure to put the pasta and broth in separate containers. You will thank us later!
What is miso paste?
Miso is a Japanese fermented soybean paste rich in nutrients and a savory flavor. It’s full of umami, the so-called fifth taste, which is the definition of savory. You’ll find umami in meat, mushrooms, cheese… and of course, miso!
You can find miso in most major grocery stores near other Japanese ingredients. There are many types of miso, all with different flavors: red, yellow, and brown. You can use any kind for this tofu ramen recipe! An unexpected use for leftover miso? Our vegan pesto.
What kind of tofu to use?
Tofu varieties are important, because guess what: not all tofu are the same! Here are some tips for this recipe:
- Don’t buy silky or soft tofu! Check your container and make sure it isn’t labeled silky or soft. This type of tofu is not meant for the skillet; it is used for smoothies and puddings.
- Firm can work, but extra firm is best. Some grocery stores only offer firm tofu: and it should work! If possible, use an extra firm dough: it works best in a pan.
Curly or straight? Find noodles for tofu ramen
Where’s the ramen noodles for this tofu ramen? Here are some tips on pasta types and where to find them:
- Standard Foods vs. Japanese or Asian Foods: Most grocery stores will give you 1 or 2 options for ramen noodles: you can usually find them dried. You can also go to your local Japanese or Asian grocery store; You will have a greater variety including fresh and frozen.
- Fresh vs Dry: You can use fresh or dried noodles in this tofu ramen! Fresh produce is our favorite, but dried produce is easier to find.
- Curly vs Straight: You’ll find noodles wrapped with the word “ramen” and either curly or straight. Ramen is basically a wheat noodle served in broth, so there are many variations. You can use both! Here we used a straight noodle, which works just as well as a curly noodle like in our mushroom ramen.
Want to know more about pasta types? Here is a review of 6 different packaged ramen noodles.
This tofu ramen recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based and dairy-free.
The description
This easy tofu ramen recipe features crispy, pan-fried tofu and a slurpable miso broth! This is a delicious plant-based dinner recipe.
- 12 at 16 ounces extra firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, shared
- 6 tablespoons white, light or yellow miso paste, divided
- 2 tablespoons Soy sauce, shared
- 1 cup sweet yellow onion, sliced
- 8 ounces Baby Bella Mushrooms (Cremini)
- 1 cup Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced
- 3 Green Onions
- 4 Garlic cloves
- 2 big carrots
- 8 ounces dry ramen noodles
- 4 cups vegetable soup
- 1 tbsp are dead
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 2 cups spinach leaves
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
- Preparation of the tofu: Take the tofu out of the packaging and drain off the liquid. Halve the tofu lengthwise and place in a large bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, this will help extract the liquid. Drain the excess liquid that is released in the microwave. Place both parts on a towel; Place another folded towel on top and add a cutting board and a heavy object. Leave on for 15 minutes until the water has drained.
- Prepare the vegetables: Slice the onion. Slice the mushrooms. Thinly slice the cabbage. Cut the spring onions into thin slices. Finely chop the garlic. Cut carrots into matchsticks.
- Cook Tofu: Cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes. Heat 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil and 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook until lightly browned and crispy on all sides, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together 2 tbsp miso, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 1 tbsp water. When the tofu is golden brown, turn off the heat and carefully pour the sauce over the tofu (careful, it splatters!). Stir in the tofu sauce and cook over medium-high heat for an additional minute, until fragrant.
- Cook the pasta (while you prepare the broth): Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente. Drain and store. If necessary, refresh the pasta under some hot tap water before serving.
- Prepare broth: In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until lightly browned around the edges, 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until just golden brown, 30 seconds. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
- Add mushrooms, carrots, mirin, and 3 tablespoons miso paste and cook until mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes. Add remaining 1 Tbsp soy sauce and coconut milk, scallions, kale, spinach and cook until spinach has just wilted, about 1 minute. Taste and add about 1 tablespoon miso paste to taste.
- Surcharge: To serve, divide the noodles into four bowls. Garnish with broth, tofu and greens. Store leftovers with the broth and noodles in separate containers (to prevent the noodles from soaking up all the broth).
- Category: main course
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: ramen
Want more ramen recipes?
We know it ! Because we love this stuff, we have some other ramen recipes besides this tofu ramen. Here are some of our favourites:
